


Intimidation Factors

by FaultyParagon



Series: Laws of Attraction-Verse Fics [23]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Afterlife, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, Nostalgia, Pyrrha Nikos-centric, Volume 5 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 16:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21341482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaultyParagon/pseuds/FaultyParagon
Summary: Ozpin as cute-little-boy Oscar is, in Pyrrha's opinion, far less intimidating than what she had to deal with back when she was at Beacon.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos
Series: Laws of Attraction-Verse Fics [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448071
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	Intimidation Factors

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in V5E3, during that fun little conversation near the end.

intimidation factors

Her eyes blinked open, slow but sure. _How much time has passed? _There was no answer, though. She could never truly tell what was going on from her resting place, blanketed deep within Jaune's Aura. Every once in a while, her consciousness would rise back into awareness, and rather than being able to just float in the white void, she would look through Jaune's heart and survey his situation. It was hard to tell whether what she was seeing was the current reality, or just a memory highlighted in his heart- but either way, she was more than happy to accept the awareness. It was one thing to be able to feel his warmth. But once in a while, she just wanted to see his smile again.

The familiar tendrils of Jaune's Aura, burning bright white and gentle and soft, pulled away from her body as she straightened out, creeping questioningly towards her hands.

"May I see them all?" she whispered, pulling her Semblance out to her hands. The black glow of her polarity began to creep along her skin, nostalgic and comforting. The white glow immediately began to mingle with her powers and glow a loving grey, making her heart pulse, full to the brim with affection. Through her newly-reopened Aura channels, Jaune's Aura immediately sent feelers into her veins, climbing through her soul until they found her Aura.

And, without hesitation, she let them meld with the tiny flame pulsing in her chest, and the darkness overtook her.

The darkness faded at last, and she awoke in a cozy living room. She didn't recognize it, but it was a lovely area, with a few couches arranged around a low coffee table in the center. It undeniably felt like a safe house. And, glancing at the faces scattered around the room, the relief filling her chest only confirmed that title. Looking much like the last she had seen them, Jaune, Nora, Ren and Ruby were all present, whole and healthy and well.

_You're alright. Everyone made it, wherever you were going, _she realized warmly. _Thank goodness. _

Then, she noticed the young man seated upon the lone armchair, looking far too wise for his obviously-youthful features. _Who is he? _Pyrrha wondered, watching his face with interest. Seated upon the next couch over was Qrow, the older Huntsman looking at this newcomer with such rapt attention that the intrigue only grew within the redhead.

"This is perfect!" Nora cried, waving frantically at the short boy seated awkwardly on the armchair. "We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take _little-cute-boy-Ozpin_ to Lionheart and have him set things straight!"

_Ozpin? _Then, Pyrrha's eyes trailed to the side of the armchair, where a familiar cane was leaned up against the red upholstery.

The same voice she remembered from so many worrying conversations during her time at Beacon slipped past the boy's lips. "Please don't call me that," Professor Ozpin's voice called, the boy's eyes flashing tiredly.

Pyrrha's mouth fell agape. _No. No no no. You- you weren't- but-_

Her brain slowly searched for answers, any sort of reasoning to explain the phenomenon occurring before her very eyes falling short. This fourteen-year-old boy, scuffed and dirty and stunted, was the former headmaster of Beacon?

She tuned out the rest of the conversation between the six speakers, letting her eyes settle on Jaune instead. The blond merely stood with arms crossed, brow furrowed as he took in this information. _You'll be okay, Jaune, _she thought, reaching out a hand to him. _But… do _you _know what's happening?_ Just as usual, the barrier pulled her away- but, somehow, she was able to get within a few inches of him. Perhaps due to her presence, magnetized towards the red ring she could feel still tucked away upon Jaune's chest, the boy leaned towards her, eyes snapping to the empty space where her spirit stood once before looking back at this… _new _'Professor Ozpin'.

Suddenly, the young man leapt backwards onto the armchair, twirling his cane primly in his hands. Pyrrha could only blink at him as he continued speaking- on what, she didn't know, she was _so confused- Why is he so little? _she kept repeating to herself over and over again- and then, his body glowed green and white with the sheen of Aura, and his face shifted from confident to panic-stricken. The boy lost his balance on the chair, took a misstep back, and toppled the entire piece of furniture, crumbling to the ground with a heavy thud. "You've gotta be kidding me," a much younger voice emerged from behind the chair, pained and weary.

Everyone in the room traded odd expressions, leaving Pyrrha out of sorts.

_…So that's really Professor Ozpin? _A part of her was undeniably happy- it had been terrifying to hear his battle with Cinder, to hear the final explosions fade away without his footsteps following them. While she didn't know why he was in the body of a young man- someone named Oscar, she quickly learned as Ruby helped him to his feet- his soul had somehow survived. Magic continued to play a part in this tale, clearly.

Yet, there was a small, vindictive part of her that couldn't help but home in on just one thought:

_Professor Ozpin kept cornering me during my time at Beacon. I was terrified, over and over again. As Beacon's headmaster, he always knew too much, shared too little. _A snort erupted in her throat unbidden. _If he had looked like _that, _however, I honestly would've been so much less scared. _

Nora slung an arm around the young man's neck, grinning evilly when he tried to pull away. "Aww, cute little boy Ozpin is embarrassed. It's _adorable!" _she shrieked brightly, eliciting a deep blush from the boy.

"Look, Ozpin was right, _please _don't call me that," Oscar whined, pulling away from her to no avail.

Pyrrha crossed her arms, watching the scene in amusement. Jaune took a seat on the couch, so she sat upon the armrest as close as she could go. Perhaps unconsciously, he leaned close to her, and she leaned back as far as the barriers would allow. _She's not wrong, though, _she thought, an amused smile emerging at last. The young boy spluttered as Ruby laughed at him, Ren gently prying Nora away from the shorter boy._ He's so tiny now. _In her mind's eye, she quickly replaced all of her memories of the Professor Ozpin she remembered- tall, imposing, quiet and subdued in his worry and knowledge and cunning- with this young man, all wide hazel eyes and prepubescent limbs and heated cheeks under a messy brown mop of hair and a smattering of dark, homely freckles.

All she could do was laugh helplessly at the image of the boy presenting speeches on their initiation day, or showing her the chess set in the headmaster's office. These new images didn't sting at all. They were just… nostalgic, if sad, memories. And, whether by coincidence or by the connection of their Auras, Jaune laughed along right on time, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
